A satisfactorily uncomfortable adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel.

Ethan Frome is one of those stories that is meant to be uncomfortable and
unattractive, so if you were put off by either the novel or the movie, it
just shows that they succeeded in what they set out to do. Personally, I
am
slightly ashamed to admit that the novel bored me nearly to tears, but
this
film version not only refreshed the story in my memory but also breathed a
much needed bit of life into the literary version, which is something that
I
rarely say about a film version of a novel. Before I go on, however, I
would
like to point out that I realize how much is lost in the transition from
novel to film, in that the film is not able to capture Wharton's writing
style and there are scenes that are taken out and artistic liberties taken
with the material, but as far as a structured story, this is a worthwhile
adaptation.

Liam Neeson brilliantly portrays the fated Ethan Frome, a character who is
in an unhappy marriage to a wife who is more interested in the social
status
achieved by being married than in Ethan as a person. Zeena, his wife
(played
by Joan Allen), is a woman who has become embittered by her life as the
wife
of a poor man (as Ethan describes her at one point) and the fact that any
scrap of love or passion has leaked completely out of her marriage, which
was pretty dry to begin with. When Mattie (Patricia Arquette) comes to
live
with them, things begin to fall apart much more seriously than the
emotional
way in which the marriage between Ethan and Zeena has long since
crumbled.

There are a lot of religious and social undertones throughout the film, as
we struggle with Ethan and Mattie, watching them desperately falling in
love
with each other but each as helpless to do anything about it as the other.
Ethan can't leave Zeena for religious reasons, and social reasons as well,
since he will be disrespected by the community if he does that (which is a
little strange, since you would think there would be even more disapproval
from the fact that Ethan and Zeena are distant cousins). And besides that,
Ethan has moral reasons of his own for not wanting to leave Zeena, feeling
that he has an obligation to her that prevents him from leaving her alone
and helpless. This obligation is, of course, derived mainly from Zeena
having put so much effort into caring for Ethan's mother before she passed
away, an extended act of charity of which she constantly reminds
him.

Patricia Arquette delivers a fine performance in the role as Mattie
Silver,
although her iconography since making this film has completely changed the
way she is seen in movies and makes her role as Mattie slightly less
believable. But Liam Neeson is the actor here who deserves the most
recognition, I can't even imagine someone portraying Ethan Frome more
accurately as far as the way he was described in the book than what Neeson
did in this film. If you're studying this book in school, it would
probably
be a good idea to just go ahead and read the book, because this movie is
not
going to inform you enough to be able to pass a test on the novel, but it
certainly works as far as entertainment or as a way to complement the
book.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

Faithful retelling

The photography is one of the best aspects of the film. The depressing
snow
and freezing temperature really come across well. The acting is good. In
particular, Joan Allen shines as the sickly wife and Liam Neeson is very
sympathetic as Ethan. The essential weaknesses of plot derive more from
the
novella than the director; the theme is not that relevant for modern
audiences and some of the criticism levelled against it is undeserved.
The
plot is faithful to the original although one character is changed from an
engineer to a clergyman. The poverty of the town is very well illustrated
and gives an alternative view to some Victorian set films.

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12 out of 17 people found the following review useful:

A movie that's better then the book

When Richard Nelson set out to adapt Edith Wharton's classic novel
Ethan Frome to the silver screen, he could have never imaged that he would
surpass the novel in quality. Marvelous casting and cinematography, as well
as a befitting musical score by Rachel Portman, create the perfect
audio/visual setting for an American classic.

Ethan Frome is the story of a man broken by his illicit love for his wife's
housekeeper cousin. Starting from the present, the story flashes back to
many years earlier before the accident that crippled Ethan. His wife Zeena
becomes sick and sends for her cousin Mattie to take care of her. Ethan and
Mattie fall deeply in love while Zeena becomes sicker and
sicker.

While staying largely true to the novel, Richard Nelson makes changes to
the story that perhaps Edith Wharton should have considered when writing her
tragedy. The identity of the character investigating into Ethan's past has
been altered from an engineer to a preacher, a more sensible profession in
the context of the story. The depth of Ethan's relationship with Mattie
also goes much deeper then in the novel. While perhaps this change could be
criticized, it works better for the modern audience in understanding events
to come. One of these events, an attempted suicide by Ethan's lover Mattie,
was absent from the book yet again helps the viewing audience to feel the
intense emotions of the movie. Well-chosen deletions from the book also
help pacing while not infringing on its essence.

Perhaps the greatest attribute of "Ethan Frome" is its high-quality acting.
Liam Neeson, staring as Ethan Frome, delivers an astounding performance.
Perfecting both his character's physical ailment and emotional turmoil, he
communicates the part as though it was written for him. Patricia Arquette
equalizes Neeson's performance as Ethan's forbidden love Mattie Silver.
There are several scenes in which dialogue is not needed to understand what
Arquette's character is feeling. Lastly, Joan Allen does a phenomenal job
in portraying Ethan's sickly wife Zeena. Though not as antagonistic as in
the novel, she none-the-less conveys a meaningful performance.

What gives the movie version of Ethan Frome the edge over its book
counterpart is the visual experience and the haunting soundtrack. The
camera truly captures the melancholy of the land. There is not a moment in
which the atmosphere of the setting does not match the emotional performance
of the actors. Rachel Portman also composes a recurrent theme that portrays
the spirit of the novel. The music, along with the camera work, help to set
the kind of mood that words cannot in this instance.
"Ethan Frome" wonderfully tells the story that Edith Wharton meant to in
her novel. Outstanding acting and beautiful camera work make "Ethan Frome"
a deeply moving film. Those who read the book will be mystified by the
superiority of the movie over the novel. Those just interested in a
heartfelt tale of forbidden love will not be disappointed either. Though it
runs just over an hour-and-a-half, it is paced well and does not rush. As a
whole, "Ethan Frome" is highly recommended.

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

A straight forward high romance put in a strait jacket...lots of squirming here

This is a classic Edith Wharton melodrama, a hyper-romantic short novel
that has turned on and turned off many high schoolers and literature
majors over the years. It's a great story and it's hard to go totally
wrong with it, but it's an old fashioned story, and more slow and
steady than filled with amazing or surprising turns and emotional
insights.

Another way to put it is: it isn't a Bronte novel.

So a movie version of Ethan Frome has to find some way of pulling us in
very deeply, through characterization, through ambiance, through an
attention so small things that make the main plot take on resonance.
None of that quite happens here.

The photography makes clear from the first scenes that it is very
careful, which isn't a bad thing. The whole film has a steady,
beautiful, somewhat constrained quality, using lots of available light.
We watch the title character, played by Liam Neeson, with a growing
sense of calm partly because of the camera. When we discover the
relationship between Frome and his wife, and then with his wife's
relative who has come to "help" them with chores, it is always
bordering on stiff. I think this is meant to imply a formality to life
at the turn of the century (the book was written in 1911 and set a few
years earlier). But to my mind people were not so poised, or afraid, or
following puritanical strictures as all that.

At any rate, the move ends up weirdly flat as a result. We know the
events are romantically intense, but we don't get swept away by them.
It's surprising no movie version has been attempted before this one.
And it will be surprising if another is tried, hopefully with more
effect. This isn't at all bad, nothing glaring here, but being "not
bad" isn't quite the idea in the end.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:

Watch this for Liam Neeson's performance

Liam Neeson is astounding. The rest of the cast is very good as well.
Though poor Joan Allen has the misfortune of being required to grate on the
nerves. Tate Donovan was a nice find as well, as the new preacher in town,
I think I enjoyed him more here than in any other film in which I've seen
him.

Back, however, to Neeson. From the opening moments when you see him
trudging through the snow to the sexual energy he exudes without showing
skin to the final moments of deep pain and confusion, he is is phenomenal.
He is THE reason to see this film.

It could have been that I was home ill (ironic when you consider the plot)
when I saw the film, but I'm not so sure the pace wasn't a little below the
speed necessary for people to get truly wrapped into the story and
characters. Yet, I stuck through the whole thing, because I was transfixed
by Neeson's performance.

He is one of the greats! I always feel warmed after watching him
perform.

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6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

Subtle and powerful adaptation of Edith Wharton's novella.

These are New England country folks, as quiet
and as repressed as they are in Edith Wharton's
novel. Not so much repressed, actually, as they
are clumsy and inexperienced. When something
extraordinary happens to their emotions, they
scarcely know what to do. This conflict has been
played for laughs by many writers over the years,
because it does lend itself to comedy. Wharton
chose to write a tragedy, and this movie captures
the essence of Wharton's vision far better than
The Age of Innocence, thanks largely to the
direction and the superb cast. Highly recommended.

Poorly adapted, brilliantly acted

Although I found the acting excellent, and the cinematography beautiful, I
was extremely disappointed with the adaptation.

One of the significant portions of the novella is the fact that Ethan and
Mattie decide to kill themselves, rather than go on. This is never
presented in the movie, they show it as if it were a sledding accident.

The character changes in Mattie and Zenna are almost non-existent. While
in
the novella they almost change places, at the end of this adaptation it
appears as if they are both invalids.

Lastly that Mattie and Ethan consummate their relationship fully nearly
destroys the power and poignancy of the finale.

The change of the narrator being a preacher was one effective
change.

Neeson and Arquette are superb in their portrayals. Joan Allen was also
wonderful, however her character was much watered down from Whartons
novella.

I do not expect films to faithfully portray novels, but this one went to
far
and in the process nearly destroyed the story.

Overall, I would not recommend watching this film unless you have read the
book as you will come away confused and disappointed.

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

The book should be better

Based on the book by Edith Wharton, XIX century renowned American
writer, is a drama that reflects in a painful way the sufferings of a
poor peasant family in rural New England. Blend in the community that
makes up this social group as well as in the family are elements of
discrimination, abuse, confusion of values, insecurities, of
indifference, lack of solidarity and passion that give the viewer a
grim and sad picture about human dignity. An unknown narrator takes
care to present the story to the viewer in flashback after the arrival
of a new pastor who decide to visit his parishioners one by one until
it meets with the main characters. The feeling that is transmitted,
despite the excellent photography and beautiful winter scenery is
depression and pain. Good performance by Liam Neeson. The book should
be better.

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4 out of 7 people found the following review useful:

Almost.

I must say outright that this book is one of the best Edith Wharton books
you could possibly read, so I was a little dubious going into this
film.

I was pleasantly surprised though by the detail and care that the director
and actors put into it, although I would quibble with one point- I found
that rather than the Whartonian 'repression', the performers seemed to be
awkwardly stumbling with their emotions- it's a fine line to be
sure.

Liam Neeson does a wonderful job in this film, beautifully nuanced
performance, and Joan Allen (as always) just about walks away with the
film.

Absolutely worth a viewing, but try the book first, it's
superb.

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Very fine and moving adoption of famous novel

I watched this movie yesterday night. It made me cry! Then I dreamed of
it at night, and when I woke up I still had a melancholy feeling in my
stomach and a sweet pain in my heart. Very few movies or novels affect
me this strongly nowadays!

The depiction is bleak but romantic, tender, and very, very fine. The
actors are all very good in their parts. This is one of those love
stories that make you take the side of the adulterous couple, however
much you are against such behaviour in ordinary cases. Mutual love can
be so hard to find, and when you find it but cannot have it because of
circumstances in the world around, you "never want to leave this
hill"...